IEA study
Energy transition is making progress: Renewables are replacing coal as the most important source of electricity
In Lippendorf, Saxony, old energy sources meet new ones: renewable sources such as solar power will soon replace coal-fired power as the most important energy producer
© Jan Woitas / DPA
If nuclear energy is included among the low-CO2 electricity generators, half of the energy produced worldwide will come from renewable sources in 2026. This is the result of a study by the IEA. Coal-fired power is therefore becoming less and less important.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) will replace coal as the world’s most important energy source for electricity production in 2025. Experts expect renewables to account for 37 percent of global electricity production by 2026, according to the new IEA annual report. In 2023 the proportion was around 30 percent.
Renewables produce more electricity than needed
If nuclear energy is included, almost half of the electricity can be produced with low CO2 emissions in 2026, the report continues. Last year, this cumulative share was just under 40 percent. Combined with the desired savings through greater efficiency, the growth of renewables can therefore exceed the growth in electricity demand in industrialized countries.
“The electricity sector currently produces more CO2 emissions than any other sector of the global economy,” said IEA chief Fatih Birol. “It is therefore encouraging that the rapid growth of renewable energy and the continued expansion of nuclear power together are on track to meet the full increase in global electricity demand over the next three years.”
Coal-fired power will decrease by 1.7 percent annually
The global increase in electricity demand is primarily due to developing and emerging countries – and in these countries, coal is still significantly more important than in industrialized countries. Nevertheless, the IEA sees a slow structural shift away from the highly CO2-intensive fossil fuel worldwide. It assumes that electricity generation from coal will decline by an average of 1.7 percent per year until 2026.
According to the report, nuclear power is expected to break the previous record from 2021 in 2025. The energy agency points to repairs at several French reactors and new plants coming online, primarily in China, India, Japan and South Korea.